The present application is directed to a system for fueling vehicles and, more particularly, an automated fueling system in which the vehicle operator remains in the vehicle during the fueling process.
Fueling stations are commonplace in today's society. The most readily seen station is a gas station that includes one or more fuel pumps that are able to dispense one or more different types of fuel. A vehicle operator drives their vehicle to one of the pumps and stops their vehicle. The operator then exits the vehicle to pay for the fuel and then dispense the fuel. At some stations, the operator may be required to walk to a nearby kiosk or store to pay for the fuel. Alternatively, the pump may be equipped with an interface to receive credit card payment. The user may also remove a fuel nozzle and corresponding hose from the pump and place the nozzle into the gas tank in their vehicle to dispense the fuel. Once complete, the nozzle and hose are returned to the pump, the user closes their fuel tank, and is then able to drive away in their vehicle. This type of fueling system includes a variety of disadvantages.
One disadvantage is the vehicle operator is required to exit the vehicle. Exiting the vehicle may expose the operator to unsafe conditions in which they may be robbed or worse. This is more likely in certain circumstances, such as when the operator is alone, the fueling occurs at night, or the station is in an area with a history of crime.
Exiting the vehicle also exposes the operator to adverse weather conditions. It may be raining at the time of fueling thus causing the operator to get wet while they perform the refueling. Likewise, the weather may be frigidly cold or excessively hot, either of which exposes the operator to be placed in physically uncomfortable situations.
From a business efficiency perspective, requiring the operator to exit the vehicle to fuel their vehicle is a relatively slow process that limits the throughput of the number of fuelings that can occur within a given time period. Operators may spend an excessive amount of time to complete the fueling due to a variety of different factors, such as being unfamiliar with how to pump the fuel, and being unfamiliar with the payment interface. This reduces the number of operators that can be serviced and thus may reduce the profitability of the station.